A Xenosaga Thanksgiving Tale
by summonershion69
Summary: Its almost Turkey Day and everyone is as busy as bees! What happens when Shion decorates, chaos enters a pie bake off, Jin and Kosy cook and jr and momo particape in the Thanksgiving play? W00t for randomness!
1. Since when is November 23rd a holiday?

The alarm clock buzzed and vibrated sending everything else on the table to the floor. On the bed an arm's reach away a young woman whose hair could easily be mistaken for a bird's nest sat up chucking the pillow she was laying against across the room. She took one look at the clock and lay back down. She reached around for her pillow until she realized it was some where in the heap of clothes a few yard from where she lie. In her laziness, she yanked the pillow from under the head of the man who was sleeping very peacefully next to her. Happily, she cuddled up against the pillow and went back to sleep.

"Shion! What the heck is that racket? Is something burning?" the man asked. Shion slept on.

"Have it your way then," he said shoving her off the bed similar to the way a snow plow moves snow. Shion hit the floor and popped back up to her feet.

"So we're going to play rough now are we?" Shion tilted her head and placed her left hand on her hip. The man just shook his head unable to think with the buzzing of the alarm clock.

"Don't worry it's only the alarm. If it bothers you that much I'll turn it off." She yanked the cord from the wall and immediately silence filled the room. The man rolled over unto his side.

"So what time was it anyway?" Shion's eyes moved towards the clock, which was blank. She shrugged.

"Some time between six and nine"

He climbed out of the bed. "I'm going to go get some breakfast. You want anything?"

Shion ponder his question for a while then darted out of the room. He allowed himself a quick laugh at the antics of the woman he loved so dearly. Shion reentered the room trying to grasp some of the dignity she felt she had lost.

"Ahem…where were we now?"

He smiled and poked Shion in the ribs. "I was telling you how you shouldn't drink so much water before bed. He pulled the door open and waved to her as he exited the room. Shion flopped down on the bed unwilling to except that it was morning. A beeping sound filled the room. Instinctively, Shion smashed her hand down on the alarm clock. When the noise continued, she looked around for other possible sources of the noise.

"I swear if Allen started another toast fire…" She went into an uncontrollable fit of laughter as she recalled the "toast" incident.

"Shion….Shion…Did you die Shion?" Shion spun around to face the voice, which was coming from the pile of clothing on the floor. She raised an eyebrow, grabbed the stick that was leaning against her table and cautiously approached the talking pile. After she was sure nothing was going to jump out at her she shifted through it only to find her connect gear beeping.

"Hello?" She asked it. Immediately the face of her brother appeared on the screen. He rolled his eyes.

"Do not tell me you just got up, Shion"

Shion was silent.

"Are you alright?" He asked wondering why she wasn't talking his ear off as she normally did.

"Sure," Shion said, "But you told me not to tell you so…"

"Ha ha ha. You're utterly hilarious. Have you ever thought of going into comedy Shion?"

"Actually I have…"

"Anyway…about Thursday…I can count on you and Allen right."

"Jin I've told you time and again I have no interest in your book club."

"Shion…What are you talking about?"

Shion began playing with a strand of her hair. Jin obviously wasn't the only one who didn't have a clue.

"It's Thanksgiving on Thursday."

"What today!"

Jin hung up knowing full well that when Shion was like this there was no getting through to her. Shion placed the connection gear down and joined Allen in the kitchen. He was eating a piece of apple pie and sipping coffee from a chipped mug.

"Pie," Shion charged towards Allen's plate. He gobbled up the remaining pie and poured the rest of the coffee down his throat not wanting to take the risk of drinking anything when Shion was in the room. He had choked far too many times to not learn from his mistakes.

"Make me toast," She ordered.

"KOS-MOS confiscated the toaster remember?"

"Did she…all I remember is the time you reduced the toaster that had my name engraved on it to ashes and all you could say was…"

"And that as they say is how you make toast!" They said together.

"So?" Shion asked, "Did you know this Thursday was Thanksgiving?"

Allen nodded. "Weren't you wondering why we didn't have work this week?"

"I just figured they figured…I don't know what they figured."

The doorbell interrupted Shion's confusion. Shion raced over and peered through the peephole. Outside her door stood chaos.

"Who is it?" Allen asked.

"chaos, should I let him in?"

"Of course I'm sure he is freezing out there."

"But I'm not dressed" Shion looked down the grey t-shirt and indigo pajama pants she was wearing.

"Honestly Shion, You're wearing more than you usually do."

No sooner had Shion turned the doorknob did chaos walk in dusting a few stray leaves from his coat. He placed the bag he was carrying on the countertop and returned to the living room to hug a bewildered Shion. Allen tapped his fingers on the table. chaos looked over at him.

"What are you doing here at this time?" Allen asked.

chaos pointed to the calendar hanging above Allen's head. The 21st of November had an X on it and the words "chaos is coming over at noon to practice for the pie bake off" written in green pen. Both Allen and Shion looked at the clock on the stove. 12: 09 it read. Shion sprinted across the room tripping on a turkey plushie. Both men ignored her and chaos struck a conversation about the football game that was to take place later.

A shower and a change of clothes later Shion was walking down the stairs that lead up to her apartment. Before heading out onto the streets she pulled on her fuzzy gloves and hat. Second Miltian falls were unforgiving. Outside the sky was slightly overcast, but Shion presumed the rain would hold off at least until she made it to Jin's place to pick up KOS-MOS. After Shion had moved out Shion had insisted that Jin take her in partially because she didn't want him to be lonely, but more so because KOS-MOS lacked a home since Vector had thrown her out. Shion entered through the backdoor. As she walked down she eavesdropped on the conversation between Jin and Kosy were having about some ancient book even Jr. probably never heard of. In the kitchen, Shion helped her self to some lunch. She was eating her third apple when Jin walked in to fill his coffee cup once again.

"Of course you can have an apple my dear sister," Jin said, "It was so nice of you to drop by just to say hello."

Shion swallowed the apple core. "Where is Kosy I'm heading to the store to pick up some Thanksgiving crap and I need my sidekick along for the ride. Jin pointed towards Shion's old room, which she had ever so kindly donated, to Kosy. Shion skipped off. Inside Kosy was rummaging through the closet. Shion peeked over the android's shoulder. The closet was jammed full of various shiny kitchen appliances including Shion's toaster and chaos's stove.

"Shion instead of judging me please assist me in shutting this door. Both of them had to push as hard as they could in order to force the door to close.

"Get your purse Kosy we're going to the store."

"Shion as much as it would please me to accompany you. I have a previous engagement with a cooking show so I will to pass."

"Sucks for you" Shion grabbed Kosy's hand and pulled her out the door. "Trust me those shows suck. I'm the one you want to learn from."

"Shion need I remind you of all the times you've given Jin food poisoning."

Shion made a face. "I was young and inexperienced, but now I'm the master chef."

"This year me and Jin agreed we'd be doing all of the cooking."

Shion stopped dead in her tracks. This was one time Shion was hoping she actually was hearing things.

"Well weren't you wondering about why sudden interest in cooking shows?"

"I wonder a lot about you Kosy"

"Funny is how Jin and I were discussing you as well last night over scrabble."

This perked Shion's interest.

"Too bad it was deleted from my memory banks"  
Shion pouted and stomped off in the direction of the local mall. A few minutes into their walk, a torrential downpour began. Kosy pulled an umbrella from her pocket to shelter herself from the rain. Shion reached for it, but Kosy held it way above her. By the time, they made it through the sliding doors Shion was soaked through all her layers of clothes and her shoes were squeaking from all the excess water. Kosy closed her umbrella and shook it in Shion's face.

"Really Kosy I haven't the slightest clue where you learned selfishness from. It must have been Allen. I'll have to bring this to his attention later." Shion wiped her face on her coat sleeve. Kosy watched her curiously. They headed over to the seasonal store.

"What exactly are you hoping to buy Shion?" Kosy dared to ask.

Shion danced around the question. "Nothing special just some decorations. Jin's house can really get to be a bore around the holidays." Kosy feared what Shion might be planning. Shion raced off weaving through the aisles like a pro. In her excitement, Shion crashed into a young pink haired girl who was looking at pilgrim hats. Shion rubbed the spot on her head where the box of sporks had hit her. The youth approached her and offered her a hand to help her up, but drew back when she saw who had stampeded into her.

"It's good to see you too Shion"

Shion gathered her things from the ground. "Oh hey Momo what are you doing here. Guess you heard about the holiday too."

"Jr. and I are in the Thanksgiving play. I'm a ham and he's a pilgrim. I'm looking for costume ideas." She held up a hat. Shion tried it on looked in a mirror then tossed it behind her. She grabbed another one with a slightly smaller buckle from the shelf.

"This one" She handed the hat to Momo. Momo put it in her basket. She knew better than to question Shion.

"You eat yet?" Shion asked in response to her growling stomach.

"My mother packed me a lunch before I left so I'm good."

"Kosy is around her somewhere too. Let's go grab a bite to eat." Shion said as if she didn't her Momo. The pair entered the check out line. Momo watched to see what Shion was buying.

"What do you need all those cotton balls for? Among Shion's more normal purchases were a cornucopia centerpiece, a comical turkey tablecloth and a set of apple candles. As they left the store Kosy caught up with them or at least they thought it was Kosy. It was hard to tell through the turkey mask. As they headed to the food court Shion dragged her bags behind her and Kosy bumped into every pole they passed since the mask obstructed her vision.

"Go sit down and watch our stuff while I go and get us some food," Shion said handing her bags to the realian then pointing to a table right behind an artificial plant. Momo barely was able to make it too the table before she collapsed under the weight of the packages she had been forced to lug over. A few minutes later Kosy rejoined her chewing a gumball. Just as Kosy was blowing a huge bubble Shion walked up and poked it causing the gum to stick all over Kosy's face. Shion dumped the tray she was carrying on the table in front of Momo. Momo gasped. Never before had she seen or even dreamed she would ever see that many tacos in the same place.

"Come on Kosy help me get the rest of my order." Shion directed Kosy to the taco stand where two more taco covered trays waited for Kosy. Momo felt sick to her stomach already. Kosy balanced the trays on her head. Shion handed Momo a cup.

"I got you chocolate milk" Momo's eyes widen as she gulped down the brown liquid. Kosy poked Shion.

"What are you drinking?"

"Diet soda of course! You got to love aspartame!" Kosy raised her cup and poured its contains down Shion's throat.

"Calories!!!!!" She spat the some of the soda out and choked on the rest.

Momo squeezed the soda out of the taco she was eating. "Because everyone knows all these tacos don't have calories."

Still gasping for air, Shion dove into the tacos like a hyena goes for scraps. Kosy noticing Shion had gotten a head started stuffed nine tacos in her mouth at once.

"Taco Eating Contest!" Shion said as she unwrapped her sixth taco. Momo excused herself to the washroom. By the time Momo returned more than one third of the tacos had been devoured and Shion and Kosy both had their heads on the table looking quite green. Shion didn't move again until her connection gear went off. Shion groaned and handed it to Momo.

"Hey Momo!" Allen's cheerful face said, "Umm…can I talk to Shion."

Momo shook her head. Allen looked worried.

"She did something stupid again didn't she?" He asked. All Momo could do was nod.

"Well Momo just make sure she gets home safely. There isn't anything in Udo's universe that can stop Shion once she gets one of her plans.

"Sure thing Allen…and don't worry about dinner we have plenty of tacos…"

After Allen left Momo grabbed both Kosy and Shion's hand and dragged them to their feet much against their wills. Shion painfully stumbled to the exit. Outside it was beginning to get dark and the rain was turning to hail.

"Look over there!" Momo pointed to a giant turkey. "It's the same air blown turkey you just bought Shion." Much to Momo's surprise the turkey turned to them and held up a bucket.

"What are you collecting stuffing?" Shion asked laughing much more than was necessary. Kosy filled the collection bucket with tacos.

"What are you guys doing here?" the turkey person asked pulling off his "head". When she saw whom it was Momo jumped into his arms. Kosy just stared in an attempt to assess their current situation. The laughter had proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back and Shion withdrew behind a nearby shrub. 

"Since when did you work charity?" Shion asked reappearing.

"Well you know…I thought I'd give something back to humanity after all you guys did for me."

"Whoa the holiday caused someone to be way out of character." Kosy pointed out.

"What were you thinking with the turkey suit though? It's just not plausible." Shion asked.

"And that's coming from the person who bought 69 tacos and an inflatable turkey two days before Thanksgiving." 

"Hey 96 tacos for 69 dollars are a great deal. It's not my fault if you never learned how to shop for values. And if I cover the turkey with cotton it'll double as a snowman." Shion defended herself. No one had anything to counter that. 


	2. The Perfect Pie?

Kosy's eyes lit up like the sky during a thunder storm and she zoomed off at what must have been extremely close to the speed of light. Shion covered her ears fully expecting a sonic boom to follow.

"Someone is going to sleep well tonight" Shion said. She slung her bags over her shoulder. "It was a blast Momo. I'm looking forward to your play." She tipped her hat at them and turned into the sunset.

Momo sighed from exhaustion. "Remind me never to go to the mall with Shion again. I know I said that last time, but this time I REALLY mean it…"

The turkey man passed the bucket he was holding to a random passer bier and plopped the headpiece over their head. "Let's walk and talk. I'm sure your Mom will be made if you're out too late."

"Oh right…I was supposed to be home two hours ago, but then I met Shion…"

"Shion is history's greatest excuse." The subject was instantly dropped.

By the time Shion made it home darkness had completely consumed the city. Her hair which was still damp had completely frozen over and her clothes smelt musty. She stumbled up the stairs tripping on the last one. She landed on her hands and knees on her door mat. As if on cue Allen opened the door allowing Shion to crawl in. Her hand clutched the arm of the sofa and with great effort she was able to pull herself. Allen stepped back his mouth slightly agape.

"What happen…to you?" His shock causing him to stutter to the point where he was barely understandable. Shion propped herself against a cushion.

"I took a wrong turn I think. I ended up in some alleyway where a rabid raccoon started stalking me. I thought if I dove into a dumpster I would lose it, but as my luck would have it said raccoon had already chased another person in that dumpster. They were scheming to defeat it by candle light…and I landed right on the tip of the flame." She rolled on her side. Allen's eyes doubled in size at the sight of Shion's scorched bottom. Shion flicked a piece of popcorn she had found between the couch pillows and it hit Allen squarely on the nose.

"I'm that hot right?" She winked at him, but he was too busy rubbing his nose to notice.

"That still doesn't explain the beads…"

Shion pulled the string of beads from her neck and shrugged. "I wandered into a casino after the decisive battle with the raccoon since my eyes were all but scratched out…"

Allen lunged towards the couch and engulfed Shion in a hug. "It's a big scary world out there…I shouldn't have let you go alone…"

Shion pouted and stared at Allen thus starting a staring contest. Allen made the funniest face he could muster without bursting out in laughter himself. Shion fixed her gaze on the vacuum cleaner. The clock ticked and a mouse scurried across the kitchen floor. Allen's face puckered up as if he had just eaten a lemon whole. Shion tapped her fingers to the tune of her favorite song on the coffee table. Allen's face took on a shade of blue making it clear that he had confused a starring contest with a breath holding contest and forgot to breathe. He collapsed to the ground clutching his neck and gasping for air. Triumphantly, Shion stood up and paraded into the kitchen. The sight of seven pies lined up in a row on their counter brought a smile to Shion's wary face.

"chaos sure was busy." Allen came up behind her. "He was determined to create the perfect pie. The prize must be something he really wants."

Shion poked the first pie in the row. The top collapsed in on itself. Shion raised her eyebrow and moved onto the next one. Its dark crust giving away that it was in the stove for a few hours too long. The third one looked so nice Shion got her hopes up and ran to grab a knife from the drawer. Drooling, Shion attempted to cut the pie. The pie was so hard it bent the knife without taking even a scratch. Shion took a step backwards and dropped the knife. She tried her best to blink back the tears, but she just wasn't that strong. She crawled up in a tight ball on the floor sobbing. Allen rushed to her side to comfort her. After having her faith in the world shattered by a single pie Shion found it difficult to talk.

"P….I…e…." She choked on her tears. Allen turned his attention to the counter hoping that if he found a good enough pie Shion would come back to him. The fourth pie appeared normal enough. The crust was the right color and cherry feeling was visible through the cracks. Allen cut Shion a wedge and placed it on the floor next to her. Shion cautiously picked the pie off her plate and nibbled at it. Shion's face went red and she jumped to her and dashed to the sink to get a drink of water. Curiously, Allen took a bite. It had a similar effect on him. Allen scratched his head.

"I knew I should have asked chaos why he had a hot pepper…" Allen said as he moved to dispose of the pie. Shion stopped him. She took the pie for later use.

"Shall we burn the other two then?" Allen asked.

"I could never throw away pie!" Shion inspected the fifth pie. Whip cream and strawberries covered the top. Shion bit her lip and pushed Allen forward.

"It's your turn to taste it. I was brave last time." Allen worked up his confidence before testing a spoonful. He chewed for a second as he searched for something to compare the flavor to.

"And…" Shion tapped her foot and glanced down at her nonexistent watch.

"Remember the time you got drunk and in your stupor mixed a crap load of random ingredients together and baked it." Shion shook her head. Allen smirked and patted her on the head.

"Of course you don't. You were so out of it you…." Allen's face went so white he was unable to finish the story. Shion had lost interest in the topic so she stole the spoon and tasted the pie for herself which she immediately spat out.

"Allen, why didn't you warn me" She punched him in the shoulder.

Shion starred down the remaining two pies. She went for the one which resembled a cheesecake first. After it cut without breaking the knife or collapsing Shion allowed herself a bit of hope. Allen watched in awe of her bravery as she tasted it.

"It's edible. I mean it would be a thousand times better if he put sugar in it…" Slightly encouraged Shion tested the last pie which appeared to be pumpkin, but with chaos as the chef it was best to assume nothing. She froze.

"Remind me to complement chaos on his odd mixture of flavors."

Allen swept his arms over the counter. The pies crashed into a heap on the floor.

"A days worth of cooking and not a single pie is worth a g." Allen held his face in his hands and lowered himself into a chair. Shion pried his hand free and inserted a taco in it. Allen gulped it down. Since Momo had told him Shion was bringing food home he hadn't eaten dinner. Four hours had passed since then.

"Well it's been a busy day. I'm hitting the hay." Shion returned to their bedroom, changed into her pajamas and settled herself in bed. Allen joined her a few minutes later. Allen cuddled close to Shion to keep warm since she was hogging all the covers.

The next morning Shion awoke to a strange silence. She sat up and looked around the room. The curtains were open and what little sun there was in late November shined through. Shion looked suspiciously at the bare floor. The pile of clothing had been there so long she had almost forgotten the color of their carpeting. After stretching and yawning Shion dragged her body into the living room. Upon entering she rubbed her eyes as hardly as she could with hurting herself. She seriously hoped what she was seeing was a mirage. Allen was dusting the bookshelf on the far side of the room with a feather duster. He donned a pink apron and had tied a pink scarf around his hair. Shion slammed her head into the wall. As she so frequently was reminded pain was the best way to wake yourself up. The noise from the impact drew Allen's attention.

"Morning Shion!" Shion dove under the coffee table. Allen shrugged and went back to his cleaning. After a minute of lying still Shion squeezed her eyes shut and scurried into the kitchen. Thinking she was safe from blinding images Shion opened her eyes. The tile sparkled more than chaos's eyes. Shion screamed and darted into the laundry room locking the door behind her. In there she found herself ankle deep in water and floating garments. Shion scooped up her favorite jacket and stroked it.

"Who this this to you?" Shion grabbed a bottle of detergent from a top the machine and kicked down the door. He stomped through the unnaturally clean kitchen and into the living room leaving dirty footprints everywhere she went. She dumped the remaining detergent over Allen's head. He spun around in utter shock. When he saw Shion he tried to creep away, but she grabbed his arm and forced him to look her in the eye.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU DO TOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Allen could swear Shion's emerald eyes were completely consumed in flames.

"C…l…e…a…ning…." He stuttered. He was contracting more on not wetting himself in fear then speaking.

"AND WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO CLEAN?" Allen cowered in the corner. Shion whipped the bottle at him and returned to the laundry room to mourn her clothing. Allen didn't dare move even when he heard knocking. Whoever it was let themselves in and Jin appeared. He helped Allen to his feet and patted him on the back.

"I've been there." Not another word needed to be spoken on the subject both men understood.

"So are you going to need any help with the cooking?" Allen asked to break the awkwardness.

Jin shook his head and pulled a book out of his kimono.

"Cooking with Tonberry" The title read and a picture on a green creature with a butcher knife decorated the cover.

"I and Kosy have it all under control." He slapped Allen again and turned to leave. "Oh be sure to come to the community center at around six for the pie contest and play. Momo, chaos, and Jr. are mighty excited." He said as he went through the door.

Shion poked her head out the door of the laundry room. "Who was that?"

"The mail carrier" Allen lied not wanting to bring Jin down with him. Shion remained in the laundry room for a good hour while Allen finished tiding up the rest of the house. The moment he saw Shion immerge Allen went to hide gain. This surprised Shion.

"Contrary to popular belief I don't bite." Shion informed the terrified man. Allen sighed and added this to the numerous times he had been saved by Shion's short term memory loss problem. The couple peacefully ate lunch then Shion reluctantly finished the laundry.

"You know there was a reason for that pile on the floor. I didn't want to have to stand here working." Allen just nodded not wanting to risk saying anything to set her off again.

When the chores were finished Shion changed into a pair of newly washed denim capris and thin sleeveless top. Allen studied her with concerned eyes.

"Shion if you go out dressed like that, you'll get sick"

Shion pondered this. "Trust me Allen getting sick now is far preferable to being forced into eating a meal cooked by my brother and Kosy. Once a while back he heated up a can of soup for me. Apparently no one ever told him you can't just pop the can in the microwave and set the timer." A new source of fear filled Allen's eyes.

Shion walked a few miles to the home of Momo and her parents. She rung the doorbell and debated charging off at top speed just to be annoying. Before she could make a decision Jr. opened the door. Shion was greeted by Momo and Ziggy who were taping what Shion presumed was the ham costume. Jr. was closely inspecting his pilgrim outfit which was lain out on the sofa. Shion also noticed chaos hovering over the stove, but he was far to engrossed in the task at hand to notice Shion.

"Instead of just watching it why don't you try it on?" Ziggy suggest to Jr.

"Hey you just want to laugh at me. After your turkey get up you're desperate to see someone make an even bigger fool out of themselves." Jr. countered and returned to watching his costume. Ziggy stabbed a piece of cardboard which Shion suspected represent the bone into the rest of the costume. Shion helped herself to a cookie from the plate on the floor. She nodded towards chaos.

"What's up with him?"

Momo looked up from her painting. "He came over earlier covered in ash begging Juli to teach him how to bake a pie." Shion tip-toed into the kitchen and jumped out at chaos. He didn't move. Shion reached in the cabinet for a pan to whack chaos over the head with when he turned around.

"Try this Shion." She opened her mouth to object, but he stuffed a slice of pie into her mouth. All eyes were on Shion. She grabbed the rest of the pie off the stove and devoured it. Shion dropped the hot pan and it shatter into a trillion tiny shards. She rushed over to the sink and ran the water on her burnt hands. chaos nodded.

"I'm ready" he said. He swept up the broken pan and properly disposed of it then attended to Shion. Her hands had already begun to blister. Momo was rolling on the living room floor laughing and Jr. squirted milk out of his nose from laughing so hard. Ziggy whistled innocently. chaos bid the gang farewell and hurried on his way. Shion sat down on the sofa.

"You have a stain on your shirt Shion. It's cherry and I love cherry." Jr. said watching the stain on Shion's chest.

Shion glanced at it. "That must have been from the pie. I did laundry before I left so all my clothes are squeaky clean." At this moment Juli walked by humming.

"It seems chaos is trying to impress someone." Juli said.

"I wonder who?" Jr. thought out loud. Shion's connection gear beeped signaling her to take her leave.

"I have to go get Allen ready. If I wasn't there he'd be playing Final Fantasy XII all day. Ever since it came out he's been addicted."

"It came out!" Momo clapped her hands. "Mommy told me the release date was delayed indefinitely."

"Yeah Allen waited all night with Kosy to get the Special Edition." Juli shoved Shion out the door and slammed it behind her. Shion waved through the window as she walked backwards down the street. A mail truck raced around the corner almost bowling Shion. Shion dove into a nearby bush where she thought she would be safe until she could catch her breath. The squirrel that made its home in the bush pierced it teeth through Shion's arm. She jumped out of the bush shaking her arm in order to displace the creature. It hung on and Shion fainted in a ditch. When she awoke the only evidence of what had happened was a pinecone taunting her. Shion rubbed her head and came to the conclusion someone must have spiked that cookie she had.

Back at her apartment Shion discovered Allen sprawled out on the floor reading a book while his battle party in Final Fantasy XII took down hordes of enemies. Shion picked the controller up and hit a few buttons. A few rounds later "Game Over" appeared on the screen.

"What you do that for"

"I didn't like the way that half naked lady was looking ay me." Shion yanked the book from Allen's grasp.

"Why the hell are you reading Beloved? I heard rumors that it makes even less sense than the ones I write."

"Because its classic literature?"

Shion smirked. "And yaoi mangas aren't?"

Allen patted her on the head. "I guess since you're dyslexic mangas would be much easier for you." Shion smiled blissfully ignorant to the insult.

Shion dug through her closet searching for appropriate attire for the evening. Allen had simply changed into a nice pair of jeans and a green shirt, but Shion refused to be under dressed. Shion pulled out a long silver dress.

"Covers too much skin." Shion dropped it in a pile with at least a dozen other rejected outfits. Allen studied Shion's body.

"I love what you have on now." Shion had been trying various things on so she was clad in only her underclothing. Shion stood in front of the mirror.

"Nah makes me look too fat." Allen chucked a shoe at her. That statement was no longer acknowledged with an answer. Shion returned to her quest for a dress. She was bombarded with shoes falling from a higher shelf. In the back Shion found what she wanted. It was a light purple dress that left far too little to the imagination. Shion threw it on and did her hair in its usual style leaving Allen speechless. Shion put her arm through Allen's and they left for the community center. 


	3. Always Come Prepared

Shion charged towards the driver's seat of their car. The car, which was quite dilapidated from months of Shion's driving, was crashed up a tree. Shion shoved a low hanging branch out of the way of the lock in order to insert her key. The branch snapped back and hit Allen in the stomach. Shion looked up from forcing the key into the rusted hole to see the branch still in motion and Allen sitting on his butt.

"Allen! Don't play with dirty branches around my newly painted car." Shion scolded. She ran her fingers over the smooth paint. While she was distracted, Allen pushed her back.

"Ha! I'm driving! Looks like we get to keep our lives after all." Allen allowed himself a moment to savor his minor triumph. He turned the key, but it cracked in half leaving them locked out. Shion stomped her feet and shook Allen.

"What have you done? The wind is ruining my hair" Shion held her hands over her head to protect her hairstyle. Allen watched the trees above. They were perfectly still.

"Let us in!" Shion began banging on the windows as if they were trapped inside a car sinking in the ocean. Allen patted her on the head.

"Are your imaginary friends inside?" He asked. Shion scowled at him.

"Yes and they're laughing at you." In a last stitch attempt, Shion simply tried opening the door. "Well what do you know? It was unlocked all this time."

Allen mentally beat himself up. He should have known. If Shion didn't even take the time to park in a proper spot then what would make him think she would spend the extra second to hit the lock switch. She slipped past him behind the steering wheel and slammed her hand on the horn. The piercing sound yanked Allen back to reality. He sighed. His brief lapse of judgment might cost him his life.

Allen settled himself into the well-loved passenger seat. Shion sat next to him studying every button and gadget on the dashboard. She had quickly learned how hard it was to start a car without the key. Allen stared her down.

"Well you said you wanted to drive. Why aren't we moving?"

Shion slowly turned to him. Allen shielded his face with the visor. He knew Shion was about to explode. Surprisingly the blast never came. Instead, Shion cried into her hands.

"Why is everything out to get me? What have I done to desire this?"

Allen opened his mouth to go down the list of all the things Shion had done that might call for revenge, but decided to remain silent at the last second. Some how he had escaped her wrath why should he risk it now?

Allen leaned back in his seat and let his hands fall to the sides of the chair. His hand hit something cold and hard. Shion's tear filled eyes gazed at the tree in front of them.

"I'm getting a strange sense of déjà vu. I vaguely remember this happening before and also that we hid a key somewhere in the likely hood of us repeating our past mistakes." Shion said.

"This key" Allen held up a shiny new key. Shion plucked it from his hand and stabbed it into the ignition. She revved up the engine and Allen ensured that both their seat belts were securely fastened. Shion took the car out of park, they lurched forward scrapping against the side of the tree, and rolling down the hill on which they were parked. Allen covered his eyes the moment he saw they were on collision course with another tree. Shion turned sharply to right barely avoiding it. By the time, Allen dared peak through his fingers a stoplight loomed over them. No sooner then Allen let out a sigh of relief did Shion floor it again. Their car zigzagged through the lanes passing the cars that were obeying basic road laws. Allen covered his ears so the horns wouldn't deafen him. Shion took one hand and both eyes off the steering wheel to adjust the radio. Allen grabbed the wheel and pulled them a little to the left to avoid plowing down two teenagers playing softball under a street lap. Shion returned her focus to driving just in time to make the final turn at 90 miles per hour. Allen eyed the ditch they had almost tipped into. Shion slammed on the breaks in the farthest possible parking spot.

"I don't want anyone to hurt my car." Shion said stepping out. When Allen didn't join her she attempted to pry the white knuckled man from his seat. His knees shook should much he collapsed in front of Shion.

"You can't keep doing this Shion." She pulled him up and dragged him towards the entrance.

"I thought you were a man. And all men love fast cars." Allen was too exhausted to explain her mistake to her.

At the front door Ziggy who donned a tuxedo and top hat greet them. Shion looked around at the entrance hall and scowled.

"When they raised our taxes they claimed they were building a new community center. They just repainted the old school." Shion kicked the neon green wall, which crumbled under the force.

"I'm surprised they still let you in" Jin said emerging from the room that doubled as a concession stand. Shion peeked through the door.

"That used to be the principal's office. I remember it well." Shion reminisced.

"So do I," Jin said. He pulled Shion away from the room. Kosy's turkey cookies were selling well and he didn't want to run the risk of Shion starting any fires. Ziggy and Allen watched this scene in awe each wondering how the building survived years of Shion.

Ziggy handed both Shion and Allen pamphlets containing information about the evening events. Allen tucked his away for a souvenir and Shion made a paper hat out of hers.

"Good luck Allen," Jin said.

"Why are you saying good luck to him? It's not like he's in the pie baking contest." Shion darted away from her friends, but Jin pulled her back by the straps of her dress.

"No running in the halls remember?"

Allen tightly grasped Shion's hand as he led her in the direction the smell of burnt pastries wafted from. Shion hesitated.

"I had my cooking classes here. I started my first fire at that station right over there," Shion pointed to the stove where chaos was working. Shion brushed a tear from her eye before dashing forward to glomp chaos. Shion's hug knocked chaos into the back wall. A stack of old books landed on the pair. Shion giggled. chaos groaned. The cherry filling he had been making was no black crust on the bottom of the pan. A laugh that resembled a hyena echoed through the room. Shion and chaos looked up to discover a girl with a white chef's hat and a badge that read "Judge" pinned to her Kakshi hoodie. She tapped a strange shaped stick on the desk to get their attention. They stared at the judge and the laughter began again.

"I'll have no non-canon love scenes in my contest. That's rule number 69." The judge pointed to the list of rules printed in illegibly small font on the place mats. chaos dumped his pan in the sink and replaced it with one from the side burner. He had taken into account Shion visitation and made loads of extras. Shion stood baffled by the Judge's words. Allen pulled her away by the ear. The judge's attention perked when she saw him. She drove her stick into his back.

"What'd you do that for?" Allen asked.

"To hear your voice," The judge moved on to observe other contestants still laughing manically. Shion shrugged even she had no any explanation. Shion sat down on a desk to observe the rest of the competition.

"I thought they were baking pies not making volcanoes." Allen said watching someone in third row pouring baking soda and vinegar into his or her crust.

The judge approached tasted one pie, which had been finished suspiciously early. She poked a pixie stick into the crust and poured it contents into the filling.

"Pixie stick pie" she squeaked.

In another corner, a girl picked chunks of fallen food of the floor and ate them. The judge put her arm around her and handed her a bottle of diet soda. The girl dropped the cupcake she was licking and gulped down the liquid. The judge fingered her remaining pixie sticks.

"I wonder what it would taste like if we mixed them together."

"Not too much…I want to drink that you know."

The judge poured some of the sugary candy into the bottle. Immediately it frothed over flooding the area with diet soda.

"I'm going to go swimming in it," the girl said. The judge doubled over in mirth. Two pies blew up spewing lemon custard on the chefs who baked them. Shion cleared her throat feeling excluded. The girl looked up and saluted Shion.

"Sorry I digressed, but you deserved it after you stole my identity." She skipped out the door.

"You did what!" Allen screamed. Everyone's attention returned to them.

"Honestly I have no idea what the heck just happened, but let's never speak of it again."

A bell rang signaling the end of the contest. The contests brought their creations to the front table for judging.

"The results will be announced at the end of the play…or maybe later since my assistant seems to have sulked off to the computer lab. I wonder what she had to type so urgently.

The winning pie will be present to the person pre-choose by the winner. The losing pies will be devoured in the pie eating contest." The judge said in her best authoritative voice.

chaos joined Shion and Allen. "Shall we go to the theatre?" he asked. Shion leaped up.

"I've been waiting all day to see Jr. in his costume"

They took the only remaining three seats together. "I didn't know Thanksgiving pageants brought such a crowd." Allen said. A woman in the row ahead of them turned around.

"They don't, but someone pulled the fire alarm and they herded us in here."

Both men glared at Shion. "Why am I always the one blamed for everything? You have been with me the whole time. You know I haven't pulled any fire alarms." chaos and Allen kept their mouths shut.

On stage, the curtain rose revealing a browned-haired girl. She saw the crowd and broke down in laughter. "Damn you Shion. Where'd you go?"

"Stop accusing me," Shion screamed.

"Welcome to the first annual Second Miltia Thanksgiving Play. I implore you to turn off all connection gear during the performance unless the asparagus spears will get you." She looked skeptically at her cards believing that she had read wrong. She hadn't. The spotlight started going around in circles. Shion looked up to see if the light operator was under attack. Shion rolled her eyes at the operator who was playing with a miniature skateboard over the switches.

Shion fanned herself with her hand to keep herself awake through the boring parts of the play. Allen sat at the edge of his seat eating up the suspense. chaos's teeth clattered and he clutched the armrest. Shion slapped his hand away.

"You can't have your arm their. I get two armrests." Shion said.

"Be quiet," Allen snapped, "Jr. and Momo are on stage."

On the left wing of the stage, stood an irregularly shaped pink object. Jr. approached it from the other side.

"Oh what will we hungry pilgrims eat?" he sang. Jr. tripped over what was supposed to be a ham. The moment Jr. touched it the ham sprang to life.

"I am a ham," the ham said. Shion exploded out in laughter disturbing the audience.

"Oh ham, I implore you to lend your aid to us hungry pilgrim." Shion was truly amazed that Jr. was able to recite his lines with a straight face. She knew if she were the one acting, they would have had to cart her off stage.

"What can I a lowly ham do to help you oh brave pilgrim?" Momo said.

"Eat her!" Shion blurted out.

Allen nudged her. "You know that is Momo in that costume."

The people in front of them turned around and gave them a glare that could turn even the softest objects to stone.

"We are immigrants from a distant land. All we know how to do is sail. No food source do we have." Jr. took his hat off and faced the ocean backdrop.

"Immigrant Fleet! Where?" Shion leaped out of her seat and into her battle stance. She knocked a boy who just so happened to be passing them to his feet and pinned him to the ground. His mother shoved Shion off and carried the shocked boy back to their seats. Shion ducked back into their row to hide from the security guard the perturbed mother had called.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with me" The guard tapped her wand on chaos's chair. chaos pointed to Shion. Shion pressed her body against her seat hoping to melt into the fabric. The guard wrenched Shion's hand hauling her from her seat. As they were leaving, Jin walked right into them.

"Jin, save me. This man attacked me. He's with the Immigrant Fleet. They're attacking." Shion informed her brother. Jin looked from the audience who were all turned around enjoying the show to the ham and the pilgrim that were patiently waiting on the stage to the security guard who was dangling his sister by her collar.

"This scene hasn't happened in awhile," the guard said. Jin shuddered when he realized the same person worked security now as did when it was a school and she still wore as much scary makeup. Shion's face was turning red.

"Let her down. She's harmless," Jin tapped his shoulder.

The guard tightened her grip on Shion. "She attacked an innocent minor not to mention they're sitting in the seats directly under the balcony and can be heard from above."

"She was dropped on her head a few times in battle"

The guard grunted and dropped Shion. "If you must stay here chain her to a chair and gag her for the safety of the bystanders here."

Allen snacked on a bag of popcorn. He knew there was a reason he agreed to come to the show. chaos sat on the edge of his seat.

"I want to know what happens to the starving pilgrim" Jr. and Momo were playing cards on the stage. They as well had learned always to come prepared.

Just as the audience was settled and the play was about to restart, the announcer burst onto the stage clapping.

"What a wonderful heart-warming story" She obviously had watched the wrong show. Jr. and Momo exited the stage happily. Even if they had been had to finish they would have had to improvise. During all the waiting, they had forgotten their lines. The audience gave them a standing ovation. Shion supposed they thought everything that had happened was all part of the show.

"And know it is time to announce the winner of the pie contest" The announcer continued once the round of applause died down. chaos bounced in his seat.

"Down boy," Shion said petting chaos's head. The actors from the play carried out a table full of pies. chaos waved to Jr. The announcer read off every contestant's name and the place they had scored which was quite boring considering the vast number of pies there were. Shion was pulling apart the cushion on her chair until she heard chaos's name.

"chaos with his Cheery Wraith Pie…dun dun dun FIRST PLACE!!!"

Shion, Jin, and Allen erupted into cheers. chaos nearly fainted.

"Would the winner please come to claim his prize…at least I think it's a guy…is there even a chaos or was this a joke entry?" A shoe flew from offstage and hit the announcer's ear.

chaos fumed to the stage and stole the trophy from her grasp. Juli snapped a picture of chaos with his award. "I taught him well," she said.

"I would like to thank Shion and Allen for allowing me the opportunity to practice at their home, Juli for actually teaching me how to bake, and most of all Jr." chaos presented his winning pie to the red haired ex-pilgrim.

"I love you too chaos," Jr. embraced the master pie chef. Music blared in the background and the announcer tapped her microphone causing an ear popping noise to resound through the theatre. The judge stood over Allen's chair drooling at the two men hugging. Juli snapped her finger.

"A mother always knows"

Jin cried. "Why don't I get thanked?"

Shion rushed to the stage to sample the losing pies. Allen joined her for lack of anything better to do. Jin lingered. Someone had to remain sober for the drive home. Kosy strolled in.

"We ran out of cookies so the stand had to close. The profits are going toward fixing the wall Shion kicked." She said sitting in one of the now vacant seats next to Jin.

"Good I feel like we accomplished something today."

Kosy watched as masses of people left their seats and ate the pies on the stage.

"Those should have gone to charity…"

"My sensors read that the vast majority of those pies are not safe for human consumption."

"But…Shion and Allen…ahh…after eating Shion's cooking for so long I'm sure they both have stomachs of steel."

"Concurred"

Someone rolled in another table of pies. "We're going to be here for while" Jin leaned against Kosy's shoulder to take a nap. He had just closed his eyes when the fire alarm sounded and the sprinkler system activated. Jin jumped to attention. Smoke was pouring in from the direction of the kitchens.

"Everyone remain calm," The judge said, "There is absolutely nothing to be alarmed about. It just seems that in the excitement someone left the stove unattended."

"Burn burn! I finally get my wish after so many years." Shion danced on the stage. She tripped on an empty tin and flew off the stage.

"All clear! The fire burned itself out at the loss of only those stoves we were going to donate anyway." A random voice said.

"Of course they burned," Kosy said. Her eyes darted back and forth. Jin sighed. He was happy he had locked his closet before they left. He couldn't afford to lose the storage space.

"This festive event is officially over. Vacate the premises before we start a real fire. Thank you very much and we do hope you had a very enjoyable time." The announcer said. Most of the crowd had left to escape the sprinklers so only Shion, Allen, Jin, Kosy, Juli, Momo and a few others remained. Shion was stuffing water lugged pies into a bag. Juli was admiring the pictures she had taken and Allen was splashing in a puddle.

"Where did chaos and Jr. go?" Momo asked.

"The coatroom I think," Shion replied, "Jr. said he wanted to give chaos his Thanksgiving gift early." Juli covered Momo's ears.

"I think its time to call it a night," she said eyeing Shion who was building a castle out of pie.

"Shall we take our leave too Kosy? If we leave now we'll still have time to finish reading those last thousand pages." Jin and the android left through the emergency exit.

Shion and Allen eventually took the hint. While they were inside the tempature had dropped quite a bit so the pair huddled together to keep warm on the long walk to the car. Shion dug in her pocket for the key.

"Oh no Allen…I used our key as a window in the castle."

Allen curdled up behind a tree accepting they were going to make it home that night without a fight. Shion kicked him.

"I was just kidding you know. I'm not that stupid."

Allen didn't move. He was so exhausted he almost welcomed sleeping right where he was.

"Come on Allen, I want to get home to watch my favorite television show."

He warily rose and stumbled to the car.

"I'm pooped. You can drive." And that was the best thing Allen heard all evening.


	4. I didn't do it!

Shion and Allen both slept in the following morning. Shion's connect gear buzzed numerous times, but the pair was so deeply asleep that neither noticed. A wrecking- ball could have torn the walls down around them and they would not have even stirred.

A little before noon Jin knocked on their door with the handle of his sword. After he had called and no one answered, he had decided to come talk to him or her in person. A woman walked by carrying so many paper grocery bags that even when stacked on top of each other they still reached above her head. Jin gave up on knocking and offered to aid the passer bier. All she saw through the cracks in her wall of bags was the glint of the blade of Jin's sword. She shrieked as if Jin was a ghost. A man rushed out of the apartment across the hall. He had cranberry sauce smeared on his face and gravy dripping down his apron.

"Help! I'm being mugged!" The woman cried out when she heard the door open. The man flung his spatula at Jin's eyes. Jin decided against blocking the projectile with his sword. It would not be safe to swing a sword with two civilians so close. Instead, he bent backwards and let the spatula soar over him. It crashed into the pasta turkey decoration that hung on Shion's door. Upon impact, the decoration shattered. Jin fell on his behind unable to keep his balance. The sharp pasta fragments stabbed Jin. The woman kicked her fallen mugger in the shins before tottering off towards her apartment. Her top bag slipped off and exploded on the floor. Unfortunately, that was the bag with the eggs and the jar of pickles. Clutching what was left of groceries she scurried into her apartment. She was not going to clean up that mess. The man snatched a cabbage from the midst of the mess and tracked pickle juice and egg yoke on the carpeting as he made his way back to his apartment. All of the doors on the floor except the one Jin leaned against opened and curious people poked their heads out with the hope of learning what caused the racket. They saw a man with a sword surrounded by a whole bunch of stained carpeting. A child emerged from the apartment directly to the left.

"I'll call the maintenance bots. Shion must be at it again."

Jin covered his eyes with his hand. "What scares me most is Shion had nothing to do with this. She's probably still fast asleep." The child's gaze turned from the mess to Jin.

"Who the hell are you?"

"That's the man who tried to mug me" Jin's victim pointed at him. Jin propped himself up with his sword.

"I'm Jin. Shion is my younger sister."

"Oh" A chorus of voices said and most of the people went back inside. The child's mother tapped Jin on the shoulder and handed him a key.

"We keep spares for Shion. She locks herself out almost on a daily basis."

"Thank you very much." He shook the woman's hand. He sincerely pitied her. Jin unlocked the door and entered the quiet apartment. He stepped over a few tipped chairs as he proceeded towards the bedroom. Jin was quite sure he was not interested in hearing how that had happened. He knocked as hard as he could on the bedroom door to be polite, but when no one responded, he let himself in. Shion and Allen were curdled up amidst a jumble of sheets and blanket. Jin yanked the sheet out from under them. Allen shifted trying to get comfortable again but did not wake up. Shion remained in the same position.

"Maybe she's dead and Allen is too depressed at loss of his one love to ever wake again." Jin thought aloud. This called for drastic measures. He rushed to the kitchen and turned the sink on as cold as it would go. Steam rose from the sink. Jin touched the stream of water. He sighed and turned the knob to hot. What did he except from Shion's sink? Jin filled the largest pitcher he could find in the cluttered cabinets and lugged it back to the bedroom. He dumped the water on his sister's head. He had actually fantasized about doing this for quiet some time.

"I won't go back into that pool. You cannot make me. I refuse unless you turn the heat up." Shion dove off the bed and slid under it. Jin sat down and bounced the bed hoping the fear of the mattress smashing her would scare Shion out.

"Earthquake!" Allen hollered. He rammed the door open and stood in the frame. Jin hid under the covers. He was now convinced they were both insane. He wondered if there was a net in the closet, he could carry them off in. He heard coughing from under the bed.

"I can't breath" The bed muffled the sound of Shion's choking. Convinced the quake was over; Allen left his post and fished Shion out.

"You alive?" Allen asked rubbing her back. When she saw her brother, Shion concealed herself behind Allen.

"He tried to kill me."

"You weren't moving. I thought you were dead."

"I was having the most wonderful dream. I was afraid even the slightest movement would ruin it."

"You can't decide you don't want to wake up even if you are having a good dream."

"I'm Shion; I can do whatever I want!"

"Even when I wake up I still have my most wonderful dream." Allen said. Shion tackled him. Jin rolled his eyes.

"Get a room you two."

"This is our room. You barged in on us." Shion pointed out.

"So what brings you here this early so urgently anyway?" Allen asked.

"It's not early. Kosy already started the meal a few hours ago. We'll be eating not long from now."

"What if I'm hungry now?" Shion moaned. Allen pulled her ear.

"Now you're just being annoying."

Insulted Shion stomped out of the room. "Why is everyone picking on me?"

In the kitchen, Shion hunted through the refrigerator for some lunch. She found the pies she had obtained the previous night. A layer of mold coated them. She placed one on the table and took a fork from the drawer. Allen walked into the kitchen drying his hair with a towel. When he saw Shion about to eat a chunk of rotten pie, he leaped at her and knocked the fork from her grasp.

"Shion! That will kill you. I'm actually surprised we haven't passed out from the smell alone." Allen flung the pie out the window.

"So it's okay for the birds to be poisoned?"

"Even a bird has a big enough brain to know not to eat anything that has an inch of blue and green fuzz on it."

"Not necessarily. Do you know how small a bird's brain is?" Shion formed her thumb and index finger into an o roughly the same size, as she believed a bird's brain to be. Allen raised an eyebrow. For some reason he doubted Shion knew what she was talking about.

"Since I've never seen actually seen a bird's brain, I'll have to take you word on that one."

"Did you just insinuate that I'm dumber than a bird?" Shion asked. Allen had hoped he would get away with that stab at her intellect.

"Birds are also tasty which is why you should go to Jin's and make sure they don't poison it."

"I almost forgot and here I was planning on organizing my stamp collection today."

"You don't have a stamp collection."

"Yeah I know. That was a less harsh way of saying I wasn't going to do anything."

Allen chuckled as he hunted for a clean mug. "Where are all the clean dishes?" He asked after not finding one.

Shion shrugged. "It was your turn to do the dishes."

"And I did. When I came to get a glass of water last night, there was a whole cabinet of clean cups."

"Then you were the last one to see them."

"Cups can not just disappear into thin air." Allen peeked behind the saltshaker.

"I hate to eat and run, but I most. Every minute Jin is in the kitchen…" Shion didn't finish her analogy. She could not think of anything horrendous enough to compare it too. As Shion packed her decorations and searched for her shoes under the sofa, Allen poured his coffee into an empty bowl.

"Now that's using your brain. Only a time-wasting fool would eat cereal and drink coffee from a different bowl. You save water thus you save the world."

Allen rubbed his neck. He failed see the connection between saving the world and substituting coffee for milk in your breakfast.

"Have you seen my other shoe?" Allen contemplated her question. He vaguely remembered seeing a shoe in one of the least expected places. On a hunch, he opened the microwave door. Shion plucked her shoe from the turntable. Allen gaped and Shion took the opportunity to shove her newly recovered shoe into his mouth. As soon as he realized what she had done, Allen spat the shoe out, but the taste of rubber and mud lingered in his mouth. She picked the shoe up and held it away from herself.

"Allen, why did you have to do that? Now the laces feel like overcooked spaghetti."

Allen slumped his shoulders. This was probably another one of those situations where it was best not to argue. Shion held her foot out.

"Tying it is the least you can do for me." Allen obeyed though he never imagined doing this. Shion pecked him on the cheek before heading out the door. Shion bounded down the stairs, her bag of goodies crashing down behind her.

The streets were remarkably empty. But then again it was Thanksgiving afternoon. Most families were settling in for their first round around this time. Shion took long strides, a determined grin plastered on her face. The distance between her apartment and her brother's home quickly vanished. There was no smoke pouring out the windows. That was a good sign.

In the kitchen, Kosy stood in front of the stove stirring the contents of various saucepans.

"Hey, Kosy!" Shion deposited her bags on the table and plopped onto a stool.

"Good afternoon, Shion. While I am very pleased to see you, my current mission requires my utmost attention. I can not afford to be distracted."

"What are you making?" Shion joined Kosy by the stove. "That came from a box, right"

"Your brother made the stuffing. As far as I know he does not work for any food packing company."

"You know Kosy; I'm not really a big fan of stuffing."

"That is too bad, Shion. I hope you enjoy vegetables. I personally cleaned and cut them all." Shion eyed the largest pan on the stove, which was filled to the brim with a mixture of carrots, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower and some other stuff Shion couldn't identify without taking a closer look. Shion wondered what Kosy had used to make them glisten so much.

"Is there anything I can do?" Shion spun around on stool.

"Well, that pile of potatoes on the table is in dire need of mashing."

"Kosy, perhaps the exposure to all the heat has caused your systems to malfunction. That task requires the use of both blunt and sharp objects- neither of which I'd let Shion touch to save all our lives."

Shion paused. "Hope you guys don't mind skins because it looks like you don't have a peeler." She settled on a rubber sledgehammer, a whisk and a large wooden spoon and hurried to get smashing.

"It'll make her happy, Jin. Plus if she lets some of her energy out on those potatoes maybe we can have an uneventful meal."

Jin rolled his eyes at Kosy. "I used to think that too. I used to think many things. Then I met Shion."

"I know you're talking about me. My ears itch and itchy ears never lie!" Shion scooped up the potato paste and flung it into a bowl.

"Look there, you missed one." Jin dropped a discard chunk of potato within a centimeter of his sister's left hand. Shion dropped the hammer towards her target. Sadly, her aim was a tad bit off and she hit herself squarely on the fingertips. Shion sprang from her seat as if she just realized she was sitting on a cactus and clutched her right hand to her chest.

"That was so mean. My poor defenseless hand is now broken." Tears streamed down Shion's face flooding the room. Kosy rubbed Shion's hand and bent it back and forth.

"Shion, you hand does not seem to have sustained any damage."

"Your left hand is looking a little fat though." Jin poked Shion's other hand. She fainted from pain.

"Think we over did it, Kosy?" Jin dragged her out of the room by the foot. Kosy performed a full-system scan. If she was laughing this hard, something had to be wrong. A knocking came at the door, but instead of waiting to be greeted, the guest let himself or herself in.

"You guys should really lock your…" Allen walked into the room just in time to witness Jin dumping the unconscious Shion on the couch. When he realized someone was watching him, Jin covered the body with a blanket.

"I swear. It's not what it looks like."

Allen sniffed around. "Is something burning?" Jin slowly turned his head in the direction of the kitchen. Flames had completely consumed the stovetop.

"OH MY U-DO!" Jin and Allen rushed to the kitchen. They collided in the doorway. The meal they had worked so hard to prepare burned, but both men were too stuck to do anything.

"Kosy, fast get some water!" Jin tried to break free, but Allen's wiggling stopped him.

"My mother gave a nickel to go and buy a pickle…" Kosy sang.

"Interesting, so that is what's in her deepest subconscious domain." Allen looked around for a scrap of paper to take notes. While Allen was distracted, Jin pushed past him. Smoke was filling the room, sucking up all the clean air. Jin heaved open the window and breathed the fresh air. Allen pranced around the stove as if doing a rain dance to extinguish the flames. A popping noise from inside the oven declared the turkey was cooked.

"We better take the turkey out before we lose it to the flames too." Allen reasoned.

"We are all going to be done, if we don't do something really fast!" Jin attempted to quench the blaze with the sprayer from the sink. A few drops of water tricked out.

"Kosy, I thought you said you fixed this!"

"My memory bank does that recall ever saying that. Perhaps you have mistaken me for another."

"Can't you at least materialize a bucket of water?"

"I do not deem that course of action necessary at this particular moment."

"There's a fire. You pour water on it. That's common sense!" Allen shook his hands frantically. Kosy blinked. Jin leaned out the window so far that only his feet remained in the room.

"Don't bail now. What about the rest of us." Sweat poured down Allen's face.

"The heat created by this fire would not be enough to serious harm me. I would remain unscathed. I advise you to flee though. Staying in your current position would result in you resembling a slice of burnt toast."

"Grab my feet!"

Allen pulled Jin's foot, but he wasn't nearly strong enough to get him completely through. Kosy rummaged through the junk drawer until she found a length of string. She whirled it above her head and effortlessly lassoed Jin onto the floor. Jin clutched a rubber hose in his hand. Allen stole it and sprayed it in the general direction of the stove. Surprisingly it worked and the deluge finally put out the fire. Allen collapsed over Jin.

"Allen, that water just destroyed our meal." Kosy shifted through the charred stuffing and vegetables. "Now what do you propose we eat?"

"Give me that hose. It is time to resort to plan B." Jin confiscated the hose.

"Plan B?" Allen lifted his eyebrow as Jin crept into the living room.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!" A shrill scream echoed through the home. Allen braced himself for the only thing more menacing than fire.

"That's twice today. Twice! Do I need to get a restraining order?"

"Shion…"

"Don't Shion me. You know, you only hurt yourself. I can change clothes, but your couch is going to get all moldy." Shion rang the excess water from a throw pillow. The front door opened once again and Juli, MOMO, Ziggy, chaos, and Jr. appeared- all of which were dressed for the occasion. Allen waved weakly.

"I hope the meal is ready. I'm really hungry." MOMO smiled.

"What was the hose for?" chaos asked. He held a large package under his arm- presumably filled with pies.

"We kind of had...a situation." Allen could find no words to properly illustrate what had just happened.

Jr. glared at Shion. "You better not have ruined all the food."

"I didn't do anything. Last thing I remember I was mashing potatoes. Then that wacko soaked me." Shion pointed at Jin. He let the hose slip from his grasp and hung his head.

"She's not lying. Shion in no way caused this. That's the second time today."

"I wish I had a recorder. You don't often hear those words." Allen said.

"I don't think I want to hang around you guys anymore. You don't respect me." Shion complained. Laughter erupted from the masses.

Sometime later, –after the burnt food and water was properly disposed of- the group sat down at the table, which Shion had decorated quite festively. Jin refused to light any candles.

"I told you all that Jin and Kosy couldn't cook and I was right. But of course no one ever listens to Shion."

Jin rubbed his temples. "I give up. You win. In a twisted way you were right." Vindicated Shion grinned.

"It's a good thing you were able to whip up these lasagnas so fast, Shion" MOMO praised.

"Be quiet. You are only fueling her." Shion slammed her foot on Allen's.

"Pass another one of those rolls over here." Jr. tossed a roll across the table to chaos. Shion leaned back in her chair and smirked.

"Aren't you hungry, Shion?" Allen asked- his mouth full of salad.

"I'm just reveling in this moment. It's not often I get this much appreciation."

"Of course we appreciate you. If we didn't, we would have let you go with…"

"La la la!" Jin cut off Allen. Kosy kicked Shion's chair out from under her. Shion fell flat on her face. Allen patted her on the head.


End file.
